Dear Grey Ford Fusion Guy,
I don’t think you really knew, did you?
You couldn’t know that I had a meeting this morning which was challenging and worrisome. That what you did was sandwiched shortly before another meeting where I went in feeling in a “liitle over my head”.
You couldn’t know that I work in a business that sets me up to hear stories of how people have been hurt. I hear about experiences of people that no one should have to ever experience…those experiences often need a place to be processed…often, it’s me who provides that place. I’m honored to do so…but it means I see a skewed and twisted side of life more than most…and so you couldn’t know what it would be like for me when you did what you did.
You couldn’t know what you did touched me.
It was no big deal really…except it was.
I parked right behind you at metered parking on the downtown street today. And just before I could put money to buy the time and get the piece of paper…you gave me your ticket…you said you only had used 2 minutes of your allotted 60…and so you gave me the 58 free minutes.
No big deal really….it only costs a buck for an hour.
But it was a big deal…because you didn’t have to. You could have just continued on your merry way, and I would have put my own dollar in to park for the 50 minutes or so that I needed that downtown spot. I wouldn’t have minded…I expected to do that.
But you extended grace to me…you got out of your car, pulling that parking tag out from your front window and offered it to a total stranger. It didn’t cost you anything financial…but it did cost you a moment or two of your time.
And it cost you some courage…you troubled yourself to go out of your way for a total stranger, not knowing how I would react.
You did it totally selflessly…there was absolutely nothing in it for you…
except
hopefully you could see the delight on my face as I received a surprise gift “out of the blue”.
There was no need to do it…nothing would have been lost if you hadn’t decided to be generous.
But you were.
And you saved me a buck.
But that is trivial to how it brightened my cold dreary January Monday.
For today, Grey-Ford-Fusion-Guy, you restored faith in the kindness of the human spirit, reminded me of gentle moments that human beings are capable of, of the value of bringing joy to a stranger, of the little often-brushed-over moments where we can choose to brighten someone’s day…it might only take a moment, cost very little…and yet make a BIG difference.
In a world that is often cold and demanding, you extended grace to a stranger in a gentle kind way that someone noticed…
…just in case you didn’t know, Grey-Ford-Fusion-Guy…I wanted to write it down and let you know…
I appreciated your grace…
Hopefully now you can know.
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